Brake or clutch mechanism



Sept- 17, 11935- w. PoLLocK. JR

-BRAKE 0R CLUTCH MECHANISM u,Filed June ll, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l SPt- 17,v 1935. w. l.. PoLLoK. JR

BRAKE OR CLUTCH MECHANISM Filed June il, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 @51g @Mom/170138 I SeP- ,17, 1935. w. L. POLLOCK. JR

BRAKE OR CLUTCH MECHANISM Filed June l1, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 17, 193s UNITED A'srrrr'.1a-s

'PATENT OFFICE- mmm oa .CLUTCH nmcmimsu william L. Pollock, Jr., New York, N. r.

- Application .time4 11, warserial No. 543,591 a claims. (ci. lss-1s) My invention relates to brakes and clutches for vehicles and various types of machinery, and particularly to that class of such devices which may be designated expanding brakes or clutches.

. is to provide a mechanism of the kindspecifled which shall be simple and efficient in construction tion in view, the invention consists in the novel l construction, arrangement and combination of various devices, elements and parts, as set forth in the claims hereof, certain embodiments of the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in this speciflcation.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a'brake mechanism constructed according to 'my invention,

showing the various parts assembledin their operative relation;

Fig. 2 is a perspective Iview of the brake drum which is attached to the wheel of the vehicle;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the brakeshoes;

' Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the inner brakeshoe-bearing member;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the grooved plate which operates the brake-shoes;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of acollar member for controlling the relative position of the brakeshoe-bearing member and-the grooved plate, all as hereinafter described; and

Figs. 7, 8' and 9 are views of a clutch mechanism constructed according to my invention,v Fig. 'l being a perspective view and Figs. 8 and 9 views taken at right angles to each other.

In carrying my invention into eiect in the embodiments thereof which have been selected for illustration in the accompanying drawings and for description in this specication, I provide the various members and parts hereinafter described and assemblethe same as hereinafter set forth. The invention consists of six principal or essential parts, together with the various auxiliary connectionsfor holding the essential parts together One of the principal objects of' my invention when assembled and for facilitating the operation of the same. The'essential parts are (I) the drum member shown in f-Fig. 2, and which;"when the device is used as a brake, is secured to the4 inner side of the vehicle wheel; (2) the friction-4 5 shoe-supporting member shown inl 4, which when assembled is located within the member shown in Fig. 2; (3) the friction-shoe members shown in Fig. 3; which are slidably carried in suitable sockets in the supporting member last above mentioned; (4) a grooved plate member shown in Fig. 5, which when the device is assembled lies adjacent the friction-shoe-supporting member andv the friction-shoes carried thereby; (5) the collar member shown in Fig. 6,-which 'holds theabovel5 mentioned parts assembled; and (6) operating means, one form of which is shown in Fig. 1, for v rotating the grooved plate memberrelatively to the friction-shoe-bearing member and thereby setting or releasing the brakes.

Considering now the form of the invention which is especially adapted for use as a vehicle brake and the like, and referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, II represents the drum, which is `rigidly attached in any suitable manner to the 25 inner side of the vehicle wheel. 'The numeral I2 represents the axle.

Referring now to Fig. 4, I3 represents the brakeshoe-bearing member, which is secured to or integral with the housing I4, through which, when the device is assembled, passes the axle I2, as shown in Fig. l. The member I3 is-provided with radial sockets I5 which are adaptedto receive the brake-shoe members in a way which will be clear from the drawings, one of said members, at the lower part of Fig. 4, being shown in position, the other sockets I5 being shown vacant:

Referring to Figs., 3 and 4, it will be seen that the brake-shoe member I6 is provided with an inwardly extending stem I'I, which bears a later- 40 ally projecting pin I8, on which is an anti-friction roller I9. y

Referring now to Fig. 5, 20 shows a plate whic when the partsA are assembled is rotatably secured adjacent on the -inside of the parts heretofore described. This plate is provided with a series of grooves 2|, each of which is open at the end, as shown at 22 in Fig. 5. The plate is provided with a circular opening 23, which when the parts are assembled ts over the fixed sleeve or housing member I 4A (see Fig. 1), having, however, interposed between it and said housing the collar member shown in Fig. 6 and hereafter to be described.

Referring now to Fig. 6, 24 is a collar or sleeve member which when the parts. are assembled ts over the housing Il and through the opening 23 in the grooved plate. The collar 2l is provided with a flange 25 which lies over or inside of the plate 20 when the parts are assembled, as shown in Fig. 1. This collar member is secured, when the parts are assembled, by means of screws 26, which pass through openings 21 in the collar member, as shown in Fig. 6, and into openings 28 in the brake-shoe-supporting member, as shown in Fig. 4. One of these screws 26 is made longer than the others, and serves also to pivotally secure the lever 29, and constitutes the fulcrum thereof, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 1. This' lever 29 also passes through a member 30 secured to the grooved plate member 20, as shown in Fig. 1 so that when the upper end of the lever 29 is drawn to the right by the link 32, the member 30 will also be drawn to the right by the lever 29 and will thereby rotate the plate member 20 in a clockwise direction as shown in Fig. 1 (which represents the left-hand rear wheel of a vehicle, viewed from a point between the wheels). The spring 3l, secured to a laterally extending toe on said lever, tends to keep saidlever, and thereby said plate 20, in the position shown in Fig. l, in which the brake shoes are out of contact with the drum. The connecting rod or. link 32 extends forward and connects with mechanism available to the operator of the vehicle, by means of which the brake may be applied or released.

The manner in which the above-described parts of my invention are assembled, will be clear from what has been already premised with regard to the same, and will be quite well understood by reference to Fig. l, where all the parts are shown in assembled position and where a portion of the grooved plate is shown broken away. It may be expedient to point out that the pins I8 on the brake-shoes I6, surrounded by their anti-friction rollers I9, lie in the grooves 2| when the parts are assembled, and that the operation of the device consists essentially in the rotation of the grooved plate member 20 with relation to the fixed brake-shoebearing member I3. It will readily be seen that as the grooves 2l are inclined with reference to the circular line, the position of the pins I8 in said grooves 2i determines the extent of the protrusion and retrusion of the brake-shoes I6 and consequently the pressure of the same upon the inside surface of the drum I I. When it is desired to apply the brake, the operator moves the link 32 forward, which operates the lever 29, which, bymeans of the member 30, rotates the grooved plate member 20, thereby causing the brake-shoe pins I8 to move outwardly through the slantingly arranged grooves 2|, so that the brake-shoes are brought into a more or less firm contact with the interior of the drum. When it is desired to release the brakes, the lever 29 is allowed to move in a `contrary direction, being thereto impelled by the spring 3I.

It will be observed by reference to the drawings that the brake-shoes, when the brake is operated,

are moved radially outwards and come ln immediate contact with the inner surface of the drum II, that is to say, without the intervention of a friction band, split ring, or other device, as is already known in the prior art.

'I'he operation of my invention will be obvious from what has been above said with regard to the construction and assembly of the different parts. v

The. advantages of my invention over the forms of such apparatus known tothe prior art will also be obvious, and need'not be particularly explained here. It may be expedient, however, to call attention to the fact that the grooves 2l, which control the radial outward and inward motion of the brake-shoes, are open at their outer ends. It will be seen therefore that the brake-shoes may 5 ybe removed for the purpose of relining or other repair, by merely turning the brake-shoe-supporting member into such position that the open ends of the grooves 2i register with the open ends of the sockets I5, whereupon the brake-shoes may 10 be removed 'by merely taking off the wheel withv the drum II. It will also be seen that in a device constructed according to my invention the action of the grooves 2I in releasing as well as applying the brake-shoes is positive, so that there 15 is no danger of the brake-shoes being jammed or bound in contact with the drum when it is desired y to release the brakes, but instead the reverse rotation of the brake-shoe-supporting member draws the brake-shoes away from contact with the 20 drum. I might also call attention, tothe extreme simplicity and the small number of parts com-A prising my invention, which of course contributes very materially not only to economy of construction but also to efliclency of operation of the 25 same.

I do not limit myself to the particular details of construction set forth in the foregoing specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as the same refer to and set forth 30' only one embodiment of the invention, and it is obvious that the same may be modified, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is also obvious that the invention is 35 equally well adapted to be operated as clutch mechanism, as for instance in the driving mechanism of automobiles, as well as in various kinds of machinery generally. On Sheet 3 of the drawings, Figs. 7, 8 and 9, I have shown the applio cation of the invention to use as a clutch for operatively connecting together lines of shafting. In these last-mentioned figures, I0 represents one line of shafting and 4I a second line. The shaft II is rigidly attached to the drum member II, s and the shaft III is rigidly attached to the brakeshoe mechanism hereinbefore fully described, the shaft I0 being analogous to the sleeve Il shown in Figs. 1. and 4 in that it is connected with the brake-shoe mechanism. In the brake form of the 50 device heretofore described, when the brakeshoes are set, the sleeve Il, which in that modification of the invention is stationary, becomes operatively connected to the drum I I so that that also becomes stationary. In the present form of 5 5 the'device, however, the shafts lll and II are both rotatable, though one or the other may be stationary provided the brake-shoe mechanism is not set, but upon the brake-shoe mechanism be- 'i'ng set, as has been heretofore fully described, o0

the two shafts will obviously rotate together. It is obvious that an analogous modification of the parts will permit the use of the invention as an automobile driving clutch, all of which will be quite obvious to those skilled in the art. o5 The means by which the shafts III and Il are coupled together, that is to say, the means by which the brake-shoe mechanism is brought into play in this form of the invention, may be of any 'suitable construction, and as shown in Figs. 70 7, 8 and 9 the same comprise a sleeve Il slidable on the shaft 40. The shaft 40, as above explained, is rigid with the brake-shoe bearing member I 3 and rotates therewith, independently of the drum Il, when the brake-snoda u are not 75 2l and extending laterally therefrom is an inclined-plane member 52. Laterally extending vfrom the sleeve l0 is an arm Il, which slides upon the inclined plane when the sleeve il is moved to the left in Figs. 8 and 9 and rotates the brake- .shoe-operating member in a counterclockwise direction, thereby setting the brake-shoes against the internal surface of the drum Il, in a manner which will be well understood. v This efi'ect is entirely analogous to the braking action already described with regard to the rst form of the invention, but in this case it has the eifect'of clutching the braking mechanism on the shaft Il with the inside of the drum on the shaft 4l, thereby coupling the said shafts together and causing them to rotate as a single shaft.

Having thus described my'invention, what I claim as new and desire .to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

` l. In.a device of the kind herein referred to, the following elements in combination: a drum the inner surface of which is adapted to react immediately with the friction-shoe member hereinafter mentioned, a frictionshoe-supporting `member provided with a radial groove, a frictionshoe-operating member provided with a groove in one face thereof oneend of which is nearer to the centre of said operating member than the other end, said friction-shoe-supporting member and said friction-shoe-operating member being located with said grooved faces overlapping each other throughout a substantial proportion of their area and said friction-shoe-operating member ,forming with the drum a housing for said device,

a friction-shoe member siidably mounted 'in said friction-shoe-supporting member so as to move s radially withrv relation thereto, means on said friction-shoe member adapted to engagek with the ,groove in said friction-shoe-operating member,

and means for rotating said friction-shoe-operating member with relation to said friction-shoesupporting member: whereby when said devices are operated, the friction-shoe member is brought into immediate contact with the inner surface of said drummember when desired and removed from such immediate contact when desired. l5

2. A device as set forth inthe next preceding claim, characterized by the fact ,that the groove in said friction-shoe-operating member is open at the end more distant from the centre, where# by the engaging means on said, friction-shoe 2.0 member may pass out otsaid groove without moving from its own plane, thereby permitting a partial disassembiing'of the device for the purpose of repair or otherwise without entirely disassembling-the same. l

3. Al device as set forth in claim l, characterized by the fact that said friction-shoe member comprises a friction-shoe proper and an integral stem rigidly attached thereto,4 said stem being slidably mounted in the radial groove in 30 said friction-shoe-supporting member, Y

' j WILLIAM L. POLLOCK, Js. 

